Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 38
38
Not Addressed
Accelerate introduction of policy to reduce embodied carbon in the built environment.
Recommendation
Reducing embodied carbon is vital to decreasing the carbon emissions of the built environment and meeting the UK’s legally binding climate targets. Considering that key milestones for reducing carbon emissions are rapidly approaching, the Government must accelerate the introduction of policy in this area. (Conclusion, Paragraph 140)
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on skills, workforce capacity, and job plans within the construction and energy sectors, rather than addressing the recommendation to accelerate policy introduction specifically aimed at reducing embodied carbon.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
116. Skills England regularly publishes assessments of priority skills needed across the economy to 2030, across 10 critical sectors including construction and housebuilding. The most recent assessment of labour demand, published in August 2025, sets out the additional construction workforce needed to deliver 1.5m homes over the Parliament. These reports focus on additional labour demand. Natural workforce growth or wastage in the construction sector have been assessed separately in the industry training boards review published in January 2025. The Government is also developing a Construction Jobs Plan that will set out actions and commitments to address sector shortages. 117. The Government is working closely with industry to provide high-quality training opportunities and build a competent, diverse workforce that is fit for the future. The June 2025 Spending Review provided an additional £1.2 billion for the overall skills system per year by 2028–29, supporting 65,000 additional learners per year by 2028–29, including in construction. At Spring Statement 2025 the Government also committed £625 million for construction skills to recruit an additional 60,000 construction workers by 2028–29 and establish 10 new Technical Excellence Colleges. 118. The Government’s investment in growing and upskilling the construction workforce will help ensure the sector has the skills needed to operate safely, competently and more efficiently, including on brownfield sites and working with sustainable and lower carbon building materials. The Government’s construction product reforms will further support competence and complement wider government and industry initiatives. 119. A robust, competent supply chain for installing fabric and clean heat measures is essential for retrofitting existing housing stock and supporting new housing delivery and infrastructure. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published a Warm Homes Plan in January 2026 setting out its plans to invest £15bn in home upgrades and estimating the number of jobs that will be created and supported across the heat and buildings sector. Building on this, and alongside the Clean Energy Jobs Plan published in September 2025, the Government has made a series of policy commitments to address both existing and emerging skills gaps in the sector, with implementation scheduled for this Parliament. 120. In 2025, MHCLG commissioned a nationwide pulse survey on skills and resources in authorities with planning responsibilities. The survey was designed to refresh our evidence base and provide updated figures on key workforce metrics. It also enables comparison with the baseline established through the 2023 survey. The findings are being used to shape future priorities and guide the strategic direction of the Planning Capacity and Capability Programme, ensuring our interventions address the most critical skills and resource gaps.